Threshold — 3: Gun Cleaning 101

After viewing pictures online, Owen believed that what he had in his possession was an 1873 Colt single-action army that used .45 Colt cartridges. The site claimed that this was the handgun that won the West.

He sat at the kitchen table and picked up the revolver. Before proceeding, he pointed the gun over his right shoulder so he could look down the chambers to ensure no bullets had been left there an era ago. After putting the gun down upon the buffing cloth he’d spread before him, Owen spilled out the contents of the kit onto an old towel above the gun.

According to the web info he’d read, his self-assigned chore was to take up the gun, disassemble it, clean and lubricate each part, then reassemble it. That sounded simple enough.

The kit he’d purchased from the pawn shop contained few items: solvent, lubricating oil, a cleaning rod, patch holders & bore brushes, and a number of cotton patches. He soaked a number of patches in the solvent, so they would be ready when needed.

After viewing pictures online, Owen believed that what he had in his possession was an 1873 Colt single-action army that used .45 Colt cartridges. The site claimed that this was the handgun that won the…